High speed winder

ABSTRACT

Tape winding apparatus including a motor-driven reel and means for stopping the reel in response to increased tension on the tape, including a tension control arm which is movable to control tape tension, and including automatic cut-off means when the tape breaks and when the reel is filled.

United States Patent [151 3,661,338 Becking May 9, 1972 [54] HIGH SPEEDWINDER 2,987,265 6/1961 Quinones ..242/s7 x 2,993,659 7/196! Johnson....242l75.5 X [72] 3,051,405 8/1962 Lyon 1 ..242/181 [73] Assignee:Data-Link Corporation, San Mateo, Calif. 3.523.655 8/1970 Bevis ..242/57X 1 I969 FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS PP N111 873-378 1,032,2856/1966 Great Britain .242/713 52 us. Cl ..z42 67.1, 242/57, 242/753. o'Hammer-George Mam! 242 755 242 139 Anorne vNed L. Conley. MurrayRobinson. Robert W. B. 51 Int. 01. ................11651- 23/18, B65h25/32. B65h 23/16 Dickerson and Bill Berryhill [58] Field olSearch..242/67. 1 67.3, 57, I86, I87,

242/188, 189. I90, 75.3, 75.5, 75.5 I, 57 ABSTRACT Tape windingapparatus including a motor-driven reel and [56] References (med meansfor stopping the reel in response to increased tension UNITED STATESPATENTS on the tape, including a tension control arm which is movable tocontrol tape tension, and including automatic cut-ofi' means 2,171,74l9/1939 Cohn et al ..242/75.3 UX when the tape breaks and when the rec]is fill d 2,570,944 9ll9$l Hauser 2.7005 l 3 1/1955 Miles ..242/75.5 7Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAY 9 m2 61 -338 I 56 i w lNV/iN'lUR.

ATTORNEY HIGH SPEED WINDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of theInvention This invention relates to apparatus for winding tape on a reeland for feeding tape from a reel.

2. Description of the Prior Art Various winding and feeding devices haveheretofore been used for winding of paper tape which is perforated withcodes. Such tape has extensive use in many applications, such as feedinginformation to type-setting machines, to billing machines and otherpurposes. Since the tape is made of paper it has a relatively lowstrength and therefore the tension on the tape must be controlled withinrelatively narrow limits to prevent breaking it during use. It will beapparent that the control of tension and the reeling of the tape will becomparatively simple at relatively low speeds, but in high speedequipment, e.g. up to 500 codes per second or more, or when rewindingthe tape after use, high reeling velocities are desirable. Under suchconditions users have encountered substantial difficulty in avoiding thebreakage of tape, and in stopping the reeling mechanism when the tapehas broken or when a reel is filled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, tapewinding and feeding apparatus is provided in which the tension on thetape is constant under all conditions, the tension being provided solelyby the weight of a tension control arm, and the tension control arm andthe reel-driving mechanism being coordinated so as to ensure that reelrotation after the tape supply ceases is limited to such an extent thatthe reel will not take up or feed any more tape than can be provided atconstant tension by the tape tension control arm. In a preferredembodiment of the invention means are provided for stopping the reelwhen the tape breaks or when the end of the tape is reached, and meansare also provided for stopping the reel when the reel is filled withtape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a perspective view of oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a portion of the apparatus shown inFIG. 1, taken at line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a circuit which may be used in the apparatusshown in FIG. 1', and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the embodiment ofFIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 discloses apparatuscomprising a housing having a face plate 12 thereon which constitutesthe main frame on which the remainder of the apparatus is mounted. Asshown, the main frame 12 covers the housing 10 and has an arm 14 thereonwhich, in this embodiment, extends outwardly from the upper rightcorner, as shown in FIG. 1, to form a mounting arm 14.

At approximately the center of the frame 12 a reel 16 is mounted on ashaft 18 for rotation therewith. The shaft 18 is rotatably mounted inthe frame 12 and extends therethrough into a gear reduction unit 20mounted on the back side of the frame, as shown in FIG. 2. Also mountedon the gear reduction unit is a drive motor 22, such as Series G Type GAmotor with brake manufactured by Brevel Products Company, Carlsbad,N..l., which is used to drive the reel. Suitable slip-clutch means, asused in the Brexel Motor not shown, such as described in US. Pat. No.2,59l,l39Critoph and US. Pat. No. 2,6l7,507-Feiertag, are provided inthe drive train from the motor to the reel.

A tension control arm 24 is also rotatably mounted on the shaft 18 onwhich the reel is mounted, being mounted behind the face plate 12. Thiscontrol arm 24 carries at its outer end a pair of rollers 26proportioned to carry a punched paper tape 28 thereon, and the inner end58 of the control arm extends in the opposite direction from the shaft18, so as to engage a normally closed limit switch 60 when arm 24 israised a predetermined amount. Three additional spools 30, 32 and 34 aremounted upon the arm 14, above the spools 26, the spools 30, 32 and 34also being proportioned to carry the paper tape thereon. As shown inFIG. I, the tape is threaded over spool 34, under one spool 26, overspool 32, under the other spool 26, and then over spool 30 before beingfed to the reel 16.

As shown in FIG. 4, spools 30 and 32 are each provided with acircumferential groove 36 on the portion of the spool which is normallycovered by the tape 28. The grooves 36 are proportioned to receive afeeler wheel 38 which is mounted upon an arm 40, the arm 40 beingmounted on a shaft (not shown) concentrically and rotatably surroundingshaft 42. Shaft 42 has mounted thereon an arm 44 which extends towardthe reel 16 and carries thereon a roller 46 which normally extends downbeneath the flanges of the reel 16.

As seen in FIG. 2, the shaft 42 extends through the frame 12 and hasmounted on its opposite end an arm 48. The shaft which surrounds shaft42 has mounted thereon an arm 50. The arms 48 and 50 are movable toengage and to disengage from the actuator arm of a normally closed limitswitch 52. As shown, arm 48 is resiliently biased out of engagement withthe limit switch by means of a spring 54 whereas the arm 50 isresiliently biased toward engagement with the limit switch by means of aspring 56.

A suitable wiring diagram is shown in FIG. 3. Power is received into thesystem through the line 62, an on-off switch 64 being provided. Currentis supplied to the motor 22 through the switches 52 and 60 which havepreviously been described. In parallel with the switches 52 and 60 thereis preferably provided a resistor 66 and a capacitor 68 to protect theswitches against arcing. If desired, a pilot light may be insertedacross the line after the on-off switch 64 so that the winder will notbe started accidentally, as when the operator lifts the arm 40 to putthe tape under it when starting tape on the reel.

The operation of the apparatus of this invention should be apparent fromthe foregoing description. As will appear from FIG. I of the drawing,the tape 28 must pass over the various spools before feeding onto thereel. If the tension on the tape increases, due to the retarding orbraking action of any device such as a reader or a perforator which isfeeding the tape to the winder, the tension control arm 24 will belifted, and at an approximately horizontal position in the preferredembodiment, it will engage the normally closed limit switch 60 and openthe switch, thereby cutting off the motor and stopping the reel. As thetape continues to feed to the winder, the control arm will be lowered tobelow horizontal, thereby disengaging it from the limit switch andallowing it to close so that the motor will again be started and thereel will again begin winding tape. It is apparent that the tension onthe tape is controlled entirely by the weight of the control arm, whichis a constant value as opposed to the varying values previously obtainedby use of springs. By pivoting the control arm on the axis of the reeland positioning it and the switch 60 so that the switch is opened andclosed when the control arm is in a substantially horizontal positionthe moment arm is maintained substantially constant so that there issubstantially no variation in the amount of tension applied to the tapeduring the winding operation.

Preferably, the drive train for the reel is provided with a brake andclutch system such as Series G Type GA motor with brake manufactured byBrevel Products Company, Carlsbad, NJ. which includes slip-clutch meansbetween the motor and the reel so as to allow some slippage of the motorand the reel, up to l revolution, upon opening of a switch in the motorcircuit. This prevents damages to the reduction gear unit and otherelements in the system. However, the reel is still subject to relativelyfast stops and starts which, in the absence of protective mechanism,would cause extreme stresses in the paper tape. This is particularlytrue at high velocities, such as velocities up to 500 codes per second,which some readers may reach. The present invention ensures themaintenance of substantially unifonn low tension on the tape undersubstantially all conditions of operation. The use of multiple upper andlower rollers on the arm 14 and the tension control arm 24 allows suchrotation of the reel to continue without application of excessivetension on the tape since, in the embodiment shown in the drawing, thetape can move four times the distance that the rollers 26 move upwardly.Also, in this embodiment the force applied to the tape is onlyone-quarter that exerted by the weight of the rollers and the controlarm, so that tension on the tape can be maintained at a value low enoughto substantially reduce breakage.

The grooves 36 and feeler wheel 38 provide means for stopping theoperation of the winding device if the tape breaks or otherwise comes toan end, in that the feeler wheel 38, being biased downwardly by thespring 56, will drop into the grooves 36, thereby causing the arm 50 toengage normally closed switch 52 and open it.

The full reel control arm 44 and wheel when the reel is filled and rideupwardly thereon, against the force of spring 54, thereby causingrotation of arm 48 until it engages the switch 52 to open the switch andthereby stop the reeling of tape.

Although the apparatus of this invention has been principally describedherein in terms of its being used for winding of tape, it is apparentthat it also has application for the unwinding of tape. The apparatus isparticularly desirable for winding at extremely high speeds because ofthe safeguards which insure the maintenance of a precise and low tensionon the tape. The tape is subject to substantial tension variationsparticularly at starting since the reel does not start instantaneously.

lf desired, a reversible motor might be used to use the same apparatusfor both feeding and winding. A normally open switch would besubstituted for the switch 60 when using the machine as a feeder.

Various embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing anddescribed in the specification, but many variations thereof will beapparent to those skilled in the art. it is not practical to show ordescribe all the variations included within the invention, and thereforethe embodiments described should be considered illustrative only, andnot limiting, the scope of the invention being as broad as is defined bythe appended claims. The form of the claims and the specification,including the abstract, is adopted solely for easier reading andunderstanding, and should not be considered in interpreting the scope ofthe invention claimed.

lclaim:

1. Tape winding apparatus comprising:

a motor-driven reel mounted on a shaft,

a tension control arm having a plurality of closely spaced controlrollers rotatably mounted on one end and a mum terbalance weight on theother end, normally extending substantially horizontally,

said control arm being pivotally mounted about an axis concentric withsaid shaft,

the pivot point of said control arm being located so that the endbearing the rollers tends to move downwardly,

a plurality of closely spaced fixed rollers numbering one more than saidcontrol rollers mounted substantially directly above said controlrollers, whereby tape passed first over a fixed roller, then alternatelyunder a control roller and over a fixed roller, and finally onto saidreel, is substantially vertical between the control rollers and thefixed rollers, and

a first switch connected to start and stop the motor driving said reel,said first switch being positioned for engagement by said control arm tostop the motor when the control arm moves upwardly beyond asubstantially horizontal position and to start the motor when thecontrol arm moves downwardly beyond said substantially horizontal 46engage the tape position, whereby the tension on tape being reeled ismaintained substantially constant at a level determined entirely by thenon-counterbalanced weight of the control arm.

2. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 including:

a motor connected for driving said reel, and

clutch and brake means intermediate the reel and the motor adapted tolimit rotation of said reel to less than 1 revolution after said motorstops.

3. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein:

said control arm is movable, after engagement with said first switch, adistance sufficient to feed tape onto said reel until said reel stops.

4. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 including:

tape-out control means engaging the tape, and

means connected to said tape-out control means to start and stop saidreel, respectively, when tape is present in said control means and whentape is not present in said control means.

5. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 including:

a follower roller engaging the tape,

at least one of said fixed rollers having an annular groove whereby saidfollower roller penetrates said groove in the absence of tape, and

a second switch connected to said first switch and to said followerroller to start said reel when said follower roller does not penetratesaid groove and to stop said reel when said follower roller penetratessaid groove.

6. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 including a second switch connectedto said first switch, a full reel control arm engageable with saidsecond switch and positioned for engagement by tape on said reel whensaid reel is substantially full of tape to turn off said second switch.

7. Tape winding apparatus comprising:

a main power frame supporting a motor with a shaft,

a reel mounted on said shaft,

a tension control arm pivotally mounted about an axis concentric withsaid shaft whereby said reel and said tension control arm can be mountedon either side of said main power frame,

said tension control arm having a plurality of closely spaced controlrollers rotatably mounted on one end and a counterbalance weight on theother end, normally extending substantially horizontally,

the pivot point of said control arm being located so that the endbearing the rollers tends to move downwardly,

a plurality of closely spaced fixed rollers numbering one more than saidcontrol rollers mounted substantially directly above said controlrollers, whereby tape passed first over a fixed roller, then alternatelyunder a control roller and over a fixed roller, and finally onto saidreel, is substantially vertical between the control rollers and thefixed rollers,

said motor being bi-directional permitting the apparatus to functioneither as a winder or a feeder of tape, said motor having a directionalselecting switch,

a first switch connected to start and stop said motor driving said reel,said first switch being positioned for engagement by said control arm tostop said motor when said control arm moves upwardly beyond asubstantially horizontal position and to start said motor when saidcontrol arm moves downwardly beyond said substantially horizontalposition, whereby the tension on tape being reeled is maintainedsubstantially constant at a level determined entirely by thenon-counterbalanced weight of said control arm,

said tension control arm being movable, after engagement with said firstswitch, a distance sulficient to feed tape onto said reel until saidreel stops, the tension on said tape being constant,

at least one of said fixed rollers having an annular groove,

a second switch connected to said first switch and said motor to startand stop said reel,

and positioned for engagement by said tape on said reel when said reelis substantially full of tape to turn off said second switch, and

clutch and brake means intermediate said reel and said motor adapted tolimit rotation of said reel to less than I revolution afier said motorstops.

i I I Q l

1. Tape winding apparatus comprising: a motor-driven reel mounted on ashaft, a tension control arm having a plurality of cLosely spacedcontrol rollers rotatably mounted on one end and a counterbalance weighton the other end, normally extending substantially horizontally, saidcontrol arm being pivotally mounted about an axis concentric with saidshaft, the pivot point of said control arm being located so that the endbearing the rollers tends to move downwardly, a plurality of closelyspaced fixed rollers numbering one more than said control rollersmounted substantially directly above said control rollers, whereby tapepassed first over a fixed roller, then alternately under a controlroller and over a fixed roller, and finally onto said reel, issubstantially vertical between the control rollers and the fixedrollers, and a first switch connected to start and stop the motordriving said reel, said first switch being positioned for engagement bysaid control arm to stop the motor when the control arm moves upwardlybeyond a substantially horizontal position and to start the motor whenthe control arm moves downwardly beyond said substantially horizontalposition, whereby the tension on tape being reeled is maintainedsubstantially constant at a level determined entirely by thenon-counterbalanced weight of the control arm.
 2. Apparatus as definedby claim 1 including: a motor connected for driving said reel, andclutch and brake means intermediate the reel and the motor adapted tolimit rotation of said reel to less than 1 revolution after said motorstops.
 3. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein: said control arm ismovable, after engagement with said first switch, a distance sufficientto feed tape onto said reel until said reel stops.
 4. Apparatus asdefined by claim 1 including: tape-out control means engaging the tape,and means connected to said tape-out control means to start and stopsaid reel, respectively, when tape is present in said control means andwhen tape is not present in said control means.
 5. Apparatus as definedby claim 1 including: a follower roller engaging the tape, at least oneof said fixed rollers having an annular groove whereby said followerroller penetrates said groove in the absence of tape, and a secondswitch connected to said first switch and to said follower roller tostart said reel when said follower roller does not penetrate said grooveand to stop said reel when said follower roller penetrates said groove.6. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 including a second switch connectedto said first switch, a full reel control arm engageable with saidsecond switch and positioned for engagement by tape on said reel whensaid reel is substantially full of tape to turn off said second switch.7. Tape winding apparatus comprising: a main power frame supporting amotor with a shaft, a reel mounted on said shaft, a tension control armpivotally mounted about an axis concentric with said shaft whereby saidreel and said tension control arm can be mounted on either side of saidmain power frame, said tension control arm having a plurality of closelyspaced control rollers rotatably mounted on one end and a counterbalanceweight on the other end, normally extending substantially horizontally,the pivot point of said control arm being located so that the endbearing the rollers tends to move downwardly, a plurality of closelyspaced fixed rollers numbering one more than said control rollersmounted substantially directly above said control rollers, whereby tapepassed first over a fixed roller, then alternately under a controlroller and over a fixed roller, and finally onto said reel, issubstantially vertical between the control rollers and the fixedrollers, said motor being bi-directional permitting the apparatus tofunction either as a winder or a feeder of tape, said motor having adirectional selecting switch, a first switch connected to start and stopsaid motor driving said reel, said first switch being positioned forengagement by saiD control arm to stop said motor when said control armmoves upwardly beyond a substantially horizontal position and to startsaid motor when said control arm moves downwardly beyond saidsubstantially horizontal position, whereby the tension on tape beingreeled is maintained substantially constant at a level determinedentirely by the non-counterbalanced weight of said control arm, saidtension control arm being movable, after engagement with said firstswitch, a distance sufficient to feed tape onto said reel until saidreel stops, the tension on said tape being constant, at least one ofsaid fixed rollers having an annular groove, a second switch connectedto said first switch and said motor to start and stop said reel, apivotable tape-out control arm engageable with said second switch, afollower wheel on said tape-out control arm positioned to run on saidtape over said groove, and biased to drop into said groove when no tapeis passing over said fixed rollers, thereby moving said tape-out controlarm to a position to turn off said second switch, a full reel controlarm engageable with said second switch and positioned for engagement bysaid tape on said reel when said reel is substantially full of tape toturn off said second switch, and clutch and brake means intermediatesaid reel and said motor adapted to limit rotation of said reel to lessthan 1 revolution after said motor stops.